Situation of Venezuelan airspace at 3:04 p.m. on November 28, 2025. Photo: Live Flight Tracker App
Guacamaya, November 28, 2025. The Bloomberg agency has reiterated, using satellite maps, that a growing wave of electromagnetic interference is making Venezuelan airspace practically impassable, diverting commercial flights and forcing several international airlines to suspend operations. The phenomenon coincides with the most significant US naval deployment in the Caribbean in years and the state of alert decreed by Nicolás Maduro, fueling fears of a regional conflict and leaving Venezuela isolated on the air navigation map.
An invisible wall of electromagnetic noise has spread over the Caribbean and, in particular, over Venezuelan airspace, causing diversions, cancellations, and a growing sense of insecurity among pilots and airlines. What for a user in Caracas might translate into a slow-loading map or a blue dot jumping locations, for an airplane at 30,000 feet poses a direct threat to navigation systems.
The increase in these disruptive signals coincides with a notable increase in the US military presence in the Caribbean: operations against vessels allegedly involved in drug trafficking—which have left more than 80 dead—and the recent arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier. In parallel, the government of Nicolás Maduro has placed the Armed Forces on high alert for what it perceives as the prelude to a possible US military action.
The result is increasingly risky airspace. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a critical alert on November 20 warning of “elevated interference” in the region. However, data analyzed by Bloomberg shows that the phenomenon had been intensifying for several weeks prior, coinciding with the US naval deployment. The electronic disruption affects the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), essential for commercial aircraft, maritime routes, and millions of devices.
Images from NASA’s CYGNSS system clearly show the pattern of interference, whose intensity has skyrocketed compared to the same period in 2024. And its effects were soon felt: airlines such as Avianca, Iberia, and Gol suspended their routes to Venezuela, while the Venezuelan aeronautical authority is pressuring them to resume their flights under the threat of revoking landing permits. According to FlightAware, since Friday most aircraft have been avoiding flying over Venezuelan territory.
“The level of GPS interference is usually associated with conflict zones,” explains Dana Goward, president of the Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation. Similar cases were seen in Eastern Europe after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, when high-level official flights experienced navigation anomalies.
Data from Spire Global reveals that, even before the FAA alert, more than 10% of air traffic in the area was already reporting degraded signals in the ADS-B protocol, the technology that automatically transmits the aircraft’s position to avoid collisions. Part of the problem is technical: most aircraft still rely on the old and easily interfered-with L1 GPS signal. The more robust L5 signal remains a minority in the global fleet. “Aviation receivers are often 20 years old,” notes Todd Humphreys, a radionavigation expert at the University of Texas.
The impact is not limited to airplanes. The interference also affects low-orbit satellites, including constellations like Starlink and OneWeb. For now, according to Humphreys, these networks “withstand the storm,” but the risk is growing.
Although identifying the origin of the blockade is almost impossible, specialists agree that it is a response to military activities. Since September, Washington has destroyed vessels it links to drug trafficking, and the deployment of the Gerald R. Ford coincides with interference patterns off Trinidad and Tobago. Modern naval fleets often use GPS “domes” to protect themselves from drone attacks.
On the Venezuelan side, satellite interference has also been part of its defensive doctrine since the 2018 drone assassination attempt against Maduro, when the country bolstered its electronic warfare capabilities with Russian advisory. “Historically, this level of noise is highly correlated with military activity,” emphasizes Margaux García, an analyst at C4ADS, to the Bloomberg agency.
Meanwhile, airlines, passengers, and Venezuelan citizens watch the evolution of the conflict with growing concern. Air navigation, internet access, and even daily activities depend on GNSS signals now compromised by an uncertain military pulse. With an invisible wall looming over the Caribbean, the next move could redefine the regional balance.
The rise of GNSS interference over Venezuela reveals how the strategic competition between the United States and the government of Nicolás Maduro has entered a phase where the military-electronic replaces—or precedes—traditional diplomatic confrontations. The Caribbean region, historically a space for US projection and a bridge to Atlantic routes, is once again becoming a board of pressure and counterweights, this time marked by technologies that leave few visible traces but have immediate effects on regional security. For Washington, the naval deployment seeks to show deterrence and control against illicit networks and governments considered hostile. For Caracas, electronic warfare is part of its defensive architecture after years of sanctions, rhetorical threats, and alliances with Russia and China, which have transferred key knowledge in satellite jamming operations. The result is an atmosphere of risk that transcends aviation: systematic interference suggests that both actors are preparing for scenarios of prolonged tension, where the ability to navigate, communicate, and operate critical systems could become the next major geopolitical weapon in the hemisphere.
The situation must also be read in light of the growing technological integration between Venezuela and Russia, particularly regarding the GLONASS satellite navigation system. In a scenario of massive Western GPS interference, having infrastructure associated with GLONASS grants Caracas strategic redundancy and a margin of autonomy against systems under US influence. This Russian presence not only deepens military interdependence but also adds a key geopolitical layer by providing capabilities to Venezuela.
